The human cost of the pandemic, black holes, climate change, the Penitential Psalms and Luke’s Gospel on the Annunciation – there’s a selection of online offerings for a Lent in lockdown from English Cathedrals that you can join in with where you are.
If you do one thing this Lent … Lent in Lockdown.
Chelmsford Cathedral is premiering a series of talks on the Penitential Psalms – Seven Psalms – all of which in their own way reflect on the transformative role of lament in the life of faith.
The series is led by the Dean of Chelmsford, the Very Revd Nicholas Henshall. He said:
“These psalms have a particular power to speak into our present context. They invite us to journey into the depths of the human experience and of the God we meet there – the God we know in Jesus Christ reaching out arms of mercy and assuring us of his love.”
They premiere on Facebook @chelmsfordcathedral every Sunday but are available on a YouTube playlist afterwards. The Penitential Psalms – YouTube
Winchester Cathedral has announced that the former Deputy Director of the BBC, Sir Mark Byford, will lead a study day based on his second book due to be published later this year, ‘The Annunciation: A Pilgrim’s Quest’. Mark, a Lay Canon at the cathedral, explains how a chance encounter with François Lemoyne’s painting of the Annunciation in the National Gallery led him on a three-year pilgrimage of discovery to understand the history of the picture that came to Winchester College from Paris in 1729 and to learn more about Luke’s gospel passage that inspired it.
Find out more here.
Winchester and Hereford Cathedral have partnered for an online art experience with Sophie Hacker, who specialises in Church Art. Called Contemplating Lent, each week in Lent, Sophie will offer a work of art relating loosely to the Sunday Gospel, along with a short accompanying video that includes her thoughts on its interpretation.
The art will be shared across social media, where people are invited to leave their reflections and observations on each piece. www.herefordcathedral.org/news/lent-art-project-2021
For those who would like to meet Sophie and to discuss the series of five, there is a plenary session, hosted on Zoom at 7pm on the 30th March.
To join please email events@herefordcathedral.org
Christ Church Oxford launched Openhouse for Lent this year – a series of lectures every week of Lent that plays on the unique collaboration between its academic and cathedral community. The first, delivered by Dr Becky Smethurst: How do supermassive black holes grow attracted 2,600 views on YouTube.
Other subjects include The English Heresy: Wyclif and the Wycliffite Controversies, Can companies ‘care’ about social and environmental impact and Devotion in Motion: Moveable Crucifixes and the Sensory World of Renaissance Italy. All of the lectures are available for view after and can be accessed here.
Southwell Minster has a seven week Lent study course based around ‘A Cross in the Heart of God: Reflections on the Death of Jesus’, by the Revd Dr Sam Wells, Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields. There will be a reflection, Compline and, for those who wish to stay on, discussion facilitated by the speaker- bring your own coffee!
Find out more here.
Bradford Cathedral has a series of video explainers for key dates in the Christian calendar including Ash Wednesday and Lent and a host of materials for use by teachers and parents online. Called Cathedral 101, you can access them here: https://www.bradfordcathedral.org/worship/lent/#cathedral-101
The Church of England’s Lent resources theme for 2021 is #LiveLent: God’s Story, Our Story.
You can sign up for daily reflections during Lent by visiting the Church of England website Lent page. In the meantime take a look at the Church of England’s video below.
Have a read of our first Lent in Lockdown article here.
